John's Beekeeping Notebook
A Taste of
American Beekeeping History - Page 4
The Honey House
Uncapping
Steam
and electric uncapping knives appeared around the turn of 1900. The steam or
electricity kept the knife warm, allowing it to easily cut through beeswax. Before
heated knives, beekeepers often used several knives, using one while another was being
heated.
The upcapping table at right
(1913) used a burner below to melt the cappings and separate the wax and
honey. It also had a warming pan to heat the knives (far right).
Extracting
Small-scale honey extractors haven't
changed much during the past 100 years. The centrifugal extractor was invented in 1865 by
an Austrian, Major Hruschka. 
The one-frame pull-cord design (at right) was a clever idea.
Bohn's extractor used an early radial design.
The radial extractor, where both sides of frames are extracted at the same time, was a time-saving invention. The early radial extractor at right appears in a book dated 1895.
This wagon extracting setup shows a process very similar to that used today. It may have been used at night, when the bees' robbing wouldn't be a problem.
This drawing is from 1913, showing honey being separated from wax by using heat. This concept of drawing off honey from the bottom of a container and wax from the top is still used today.
Bottling
In 1913, granulated honey in glass containers was considered unsalable, according to Root. To delay granulation, or crystallization, of honey, heating it prior to bottling became popular. At right, steam was forced through coils inside a honey tank, warming the honey and delaying granulation.
HoneyGranulated honey was a popular way to sell honey.
Comb honey was also more popular than it is today. Buying honey in the comb was reportedly a way to avoid buying honey that was not pure.
Vinegar was also being made from honey, a use for honey that is rarely seen today.